Seven Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees

23 Then Jesus ^(A)said to the crowds and to his disciples, ^2 (B)“The scribes and the Pharisees ^(C)sit on Moses' seat, ³ so do and observe whatever they tell you, ^(D)but not the works they do. ^(E)For they preach, but do not practice. ^4 (F)They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,^[a] and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. ^5 (G)They do all their deeds ^(H)to be seen by others. For they make ^(I)their phylacteries broad and ^(J)their fringes long, ⁶ and they ^(K)love the place of honor at feasts and ^(L)the best seats in the synagogues ⁷ and ^(M)greetings in ^(N)the marketplaces and being called ^(O)rabbi^[b] by others. ^8 (P)But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are ^(Q)all brothers.^{[c] 9 (R)}And call no man your father on earth, for ^(S)you have one Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰ Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, ^(T)the Christ. ^11 (U)The greatest among you shall be your servant. ^12 (V)Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

¹³ “But woe ^(W)to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you ^(X)shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you ^(Y)neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.^{[d] 15} Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single ^(Z)proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a ^(AA)child of ^(AB)hell^[e] as yourselves.

¹⁶ “Woe to ^(AC)you, ^(AD)blind guides, who say, ^(AE)‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁷ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or ^(AF)the temple that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by ^(AG)the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ ¹⁹ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or ^(AH)the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by ^(AI)him who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by ^(AJ)heaven swears by ^(AK)the throne of God and by ^(AL)him who sits upon it.

^23 (AM)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(AN)you tithe mint and dill and ^(AO)cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: ^(AP)justice and mercy and faithfulness. ^(AQ)These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing ^(AR)a camel!

^25 (AS)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ^(AT)you clean the outside of ^(AU)the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of ^(AV)greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶ You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of ^(AW)the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.

^27 (AX)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^(AY)whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and ^(AZ)all uncleanness. ²⁸ So you also ^(BA)outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of ^(BB)hypocrisy and lawlessness.

^29 (BC)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, ³⁰ saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ ³¹ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are ^(BD)sons of those who murdered the prophets. ^32 (BE)Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. ³³ You serpents, ^(BF)you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to ^(BG)hell? ^34 (BH)Therefore ^(BI)I send you ^(BJ)prophets and wise men and ^(BK)scribes, ^(BL)some of whom you will kill and crucify, and ^(BM)some you will ^(BN)flog in your synagogues and ^(BO)persecute from town to town, ³⁵ so that on you may come all ^(BP)the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous ^(BQ)Abel to the blood of ^(BR)Zechariah the son of Barachiah,^[f] whom you murdered between ^(BS)the sanctuary and ^(BT)the altar. ³⁶ Truly, I say to you, ^(BU)all these things will come upon this generation.

Lament over Jerusalem

^37 (BV)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that ^(BW)kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have ^(BX)gathered ^(BY)your children together ^(BZ)as a hen gathers her brood ^(CA)under her wings, and ^(CB)you were not willing! ³⁸ See, ^(CC)your house is left to you desolate. ³⁹ For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ^(CD)‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

24 ^(CE)Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. ² But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, ^(CF)there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

³ As he sat on ^(CG)the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him ^(CH)privately, saying, “Tell us, ^(CI)when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your ^(CJ)coming and of ^(CK)the end of the age?” ⁴ And Jesus answered them, ^(CL)“See that no one leads you astray. ⁵ For ^(CM)many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am ^(CN)the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you ^(CO)are not alarmed, for this ^(CP)must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For ^(CQ)nation will rise against nation, and ^(CR)kingdom against kingdom, and there will be ^(CS)famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are but the beginning of ^(CT)the birth pains.

⁹ “Then ^(CU)they will deliver you up ^(CV)to tribulation and ^(CW)put you to death, and ^(CX)you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. ¹⁰ And then many will fall away^[g] and ^(CY)betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many ^(CZ)false prophets will arise ^(DA)and lead many astray. ¹² And because lawlessness will be increased, ^(DB)the love of many will grow cold. ^13 (DC)But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom ^(DD)will be proclaimed throughout the whole world ^(DE)as a testimony ^(DF)to all nations, and ^(DG)then the end will come.

The Abomination of Desolation

¹⁵ “So when you see the abomination of desolation ^(DH)spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in ^(DI)the holy place (^(DJ)let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ^17 (DK)Let the one who is on ^(DL)the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁹ And ^(DM)alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be ^(DN)great tribulation, ^(DO)such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ²² And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for ^(DP)the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ^23 (DQ)Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For ^(DR)false christs and ^(DS)false prophets will arise and ^(DT)perform great signs and wonders, ^(DU)so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, ^(DV)I have told you beforehand. ²⁶ So, if they say to you, ‘Look, ^(DW)he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ^27 (DX)For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be ^(DY)the coming of the Son of Man. ^28 (DZ)Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁹ “Immediately after ^(EA)the tribulation of those days ^(EB)the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and ^(EC)the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ³⁰ Then ^(ED)will appear in heaven ^(EE)the sign of the Son of Man, and then ^(EF)all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and ^(EG)they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven ^(EH)with power and great glory. ³¹ And ^(EI)he will send out his angels with a loud ^(EJ)trumpet call, and they will ^(EK)gather ^(EL)his elect from ^(EM)the four winds, ^(EN)from one end of heaven to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

³² “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, ^(EO)at the very gates. ^34 (EP)Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ^35 (EQ)Heaven and earth will pass away, but ^(ER)my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day and Hour

³⁶ “But concerning that day and hour ^(ES)no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, ^(ET)nor the Son,^{[h] (EU)}but the Father only. ^37 (EV)For as were the days of Noah, ^(EW)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ^38 (EX)For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, ^(EY)marrying and giving in marriage, until ^(EZ)the day when Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, ^(FA)so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. ^41 (FB)Two women will be grinding ^(FC)at the mill; one will be taken and one left. ⁴² Therefore, ^(FD)stay awake, for you do not know on what day ^(FE)your Lord is coming. ^43 (FF)But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night ^(FG)the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also must be ^(FH)ready, for ^(FI)the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

⁴⁵ “Who then is ^(FJ)the faithful and ^(FK)wise servant,^[i] whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? ^46 (FL)Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁷ Truly, I say to you, ^(FM)he will set him over all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master ^(FN)is delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants^[j] and eats and drinks with ^(FO)drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that servant will come ^(FP)on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know ⁵¹ and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place ^(FQ)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Solomon Builds the Temple

6 ^(A)In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, ^(B)he began to build the house of the Lord. ^2 (C)The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits^[a] long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. ³ The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in front of the house. ⁴ And ^(D)he made for the house windows with recessed frames.^{[b] 5 (E)}He also built a structure^[c] against the wall of the house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and ^(F)the inner sanctuary. And he made ^(G)side chambers all around. ⁶ The lowest story^[d] was five cubits broad, the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.

⁷ When the house was built, ^(H)it was with stone prepared at the quarry, so that neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron was heard in the house while it was being built.

⁸ The entrance for the lowest^[e] story was on the south side of the house, and one went up by stairs to the middle story, and from the middle story to the third. ^9 (I)So he built the house and finished it, and he made the ceiling of the house of beams and planks of cedar. ¹⁰ He built the structure against the whole house, five cubits high, and it was joined to the house with timbers of cedar.

¹¹ Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon, ¹² “Concerning this house that you are building, ^(J)if you will walk in my statutes and obey my rules and keep all my commandments and walk in them, then I will establish my word with you, ^(K)which I spoke to David your father. ¹³ And ^(L)I will dwell among the children of Israel ^(M)and will not forsake my people Israel.”

^14 (N)So Solomon built the house and finished it. ¹⁵ He lined the walls of the house on the inside with boards of cedar. From the floor of the house to the walls of the ceiling, he covered them on the inside with wood, ^(O)and he covered the floor of the house with boards of cypress. ^16 (P)He built twenty cubits of the rear of the house with boards of cedar from the floor to the walls, and he built this within as an inner sanctuary, as ^(Q)the Most Holy Place. ¹⁷ The house, that is, the nave in front of the inner sanctuary, was forty cubits long. ¹⁸ The cedar within the house was carved in the form of ^(R)gourds and open flowers. All was cedar; no stone was seen. ¹⁹ The inner sanctuary he prepared in the innermost part of the house, to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord. ²⁰ The inner sanctuary^[f] was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid^[g] an altar of cedar. ²¹ And Solomon overlaid the inside of the house with pure gold, and he drew chains of gold across, in front of the inner sanctuary, and overlaid it with gold. ²² And he overlaid the whole house with gold, until all the house was finished. ^(S)Also the whole altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary he overlaid with gold.

^23 (T)In the inner sanctuary ^(U)he made two cherubim of olivewood, each ten cubits high. ²⁴ Five cubits was the length of one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the length of the other wing of the cherub; it was ten cubits from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other. ²⁵ The other cherub also measured ten cubits; both cherubim had the same measure and the same form. ²⁶ The height of one cherub was ten cubits, and so was that of the other cherub. ²⁷ He put the cherubim in the innermost part of the house. ^(V)And the wings of the cherubim were spread out so that a wing of one touched the one wall, and a wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; their other wings touched each other in the middle of the house. ²⁸ And he overlaid the cherubim with gold.

²⁹ Around all the walls of the house he carved engraved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, in the inner and outer rooms. ³⁰ The floor of the house he overlaid with gold in the inner and outer rooms.

³¹ For the entrance to the inner sanctuary he made doors of olivewood; the lintel and the doorposts were five-sided.^{[h] 32} He covered the two doors of olivewood with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. He overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubim and on the palm trees.

³³ So also he made for the entrance to the nave doorposts of olivewood, in the form of a square, ³⁴ and two doors of cypress wood. ^(W)The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. ³⁵ On them he carved cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, and he overlaid them with gold evenly applied on the carved work. ^36 (X)He built the inner court with three courses of cut stone and one course of cedar beams.

^37 (Y)In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv. ³⁸ And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished in all its parts, and according to all its specifications. He was seven years in building it.

Rescue the Weak and Needy

A Psalm of ^(A)Asaph.